October at our House

I looked out the back of our house this morning just as the sun was rising and this is what I saw...

Harvest Time

We live in an agricultural area and it is never more evident now at this time of year. We can walk down our road in either direction and be in an apple and pear orchard. The fruit has been harvested, so we often gather up a piece or two that was left behind. Fresh fruit right off the tree! It just doesn't get any better than that. As a friend told me..... no little sticker to remove, either.

Here is a look at the orchards down the road from us right before the harvest.

Family Game Night

We had the whole family together for game night last night. Mark (far left) was here for the long week-end before heading back to Boston today. Drew and family live close by, so we see them often, but having us all together is a treat! Next get together will be Thanksgiving at our house!

Summer

Summer is almost gone......

The kids start back to school on the 31st. No more bike rides over here for a quick visit, no more calls in the middle of a hot afternoon asking "Can we go swimming?" and no more long walks after dinner ending with popsicles on the deck after sunset.

There are still a few weeks of golf, though. Sarah and I have had the best time playing golf together. The course here is beautiful!

One last fling before school will be a trip to the planetarium in Goldendale. We've been wanting to do this trip for a couple of years now, and it is finally on our calendars for next week.

What I love most about summer is warm temps, short sleeves, sandals, frapachinos, long daylight hours, and having the kids come by most every day. Life does not get better than this.

Double Rainbow

We were out on a walk after dinner last week with our kids and saw the biggest, brightest rainbow I'd had ever seen. Here are some shots we took and one someone else took. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Frappuccino

Last summer we discovered frappuccinos. We got a gift card from Starbucks for a free one, so we tried it. The idea of cold coffee was not appealing at first, but ...WOW! what a beverage. We were hooked from that very first one. So, now that is our favorite summer drink. We found ourselves going to Starbucks far too often, so decided to go on the hunt for a frappuccino machine. Apparently, there is only one and it is made by Mr. Coffee. We bought it and now we can indulge ourselves everyday. What a treat!

It begins by brewing the coffee and dripping it into the lower portion where it is blended with the ice, cocoa, and milk. We highly recommend this!

New York Times

For several years now we have been subscribers to the New York Times newspaper. I just love the stories of inspirations and creativity. The international stories about people's struggles and lives around the world cannot be found anywhere else.

I'd like to post links to two stories that inspired me in today's paper:

The first is about a boy who wanted/needed a summer job. Instead of going around and asking for one, as most everyon does, he had a creative and inovative way to get the job he wanted instead of settling for something he didn't want - or worse, not getting a job at all. Pass this along to anyone who is looking for find work......
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/13/us/13jobsatlanta.html?scp=1&sq=robbie%20brown%20summer%20job&st=cse

The other inspiring story I found in today's newspaper is about a school that was having all the same problems most other schools are having - not enough money. Instead of protesting and demanding, this superintendent came up with a brillant idea! Pass this along to your local school....
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/13/nyregion/tiny-newcomb-ny-recruits-students-worldwide.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=michael%20winerip&st=cse

That's it for today. The weather is gorgeous!!! Gotta get outside.
"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."